EMILY OF EMERALD HILL

About the Show

“The standing ovation is rare in Melbourne, and reserved for the very best performances. This production has moved Australian audiences in such a profound way, and it’s very deserving.” – Melbourne Festival

“Do you understand what made me what I am?”

“Before my breasts were grown, I learned that a woman is nothing in this world that men have made.”

Born in 1940s Singapore, Emily is abandoned as a child. By dint of her native wit and cunning, she becomes the matriarch of a distinguished household and Singapore society’s “hostess with the mostest”. But at what cost?

Her story, passionately played out against the glamorous backdrop of the decadent glory days of the Singaporean Peranakan community, celebrates the triumph of the human spirit to survive, succeed, and ultimately stay relevant in an ever-changing world.

Written by Stella Kon, Emily of Emerald Hill is a one-woman play about a Nyonya matriarch who dominates and devotes herself to her family, yet in the end, finds that she loses what she loves most. The play won the First Prize in Singapore's National Play-Writing Competition in 1983. Since then, it has been staged more than a hundred times, by eight different performers – 7 women and 1 man – in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Hawaii, and Edinburgh. An unknown number of students and amateurs have also performed the play in private and school productions. It has been translated into Chinese and Japanese and broadcast over Radio Iceland.

In 1999, Ivan Heng became the first male actor to play Emily, in a production directed by Krishen Jit. In 2000, Emily of Emerald Hill made its debut at the Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel Singapore, marking the birth of W!LD RICE. To date, Ivan Heng has performed a total of 110 performances as Emily in Singapore,Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Australia, and Canada.

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Reviews

"A damn good piece of theatre."

TODAY

"Stellar performance."

SPH The Straits Times Life!

"It is hard to fault Ivan’s performance that showcases a woman at all the various stages in her life, where only an accomplished actor could have held up the over two-hour long monologue with such gusto and expression."

Fifo.sg

"Bravo, Ivan, bravo! You deserve that standing ovation from the audience, having delivered an impeccable performance in W!ld Rice's 10th anniversary production of Emily on Emerald Hill. You knew exactly when the audience needed a joke or two, but never sacrificed any emotional moments for these spontaneous wisecracks."

The Flying Inkpot

"Heng’s timing is superb; it took only a sly grin or the raise of an eyebrow at the right moment to get the audience giggling. When she came out to collect her bouquet and the audience stood in ovation, Emily had a tear in her eye and so did I, such was the power of this sharp, unpredictable character."

Melbourne Festival eNews

"The standing ovation is rare in Melbourne, and reserved for the very best performances. It’s wonderful that this production from Singapore has moved Australian audiences in such a profound way, and it’s very deserving."

Mary Ellen King, General Manager, Melbourne Festival

"A dizzying engagement with the androgyny of identity. It was impossible not to be moved."

The Edge

"It was absolutely brilliant!!!!! It moved the audience to tears from both sadness and laughter. It left an indelible impression on me, and is undoubtedly one of the best performances I have ever seen. Outstanding!"

HK Magazine

"It's a great great great piece of theatre - I came out feeling good and feeling changed. It's been a long time since I was this affected by the theatre. The whole thing wasn't at all sensationalised. Rather, Emily was very sensitively portrayed, and totally believable."

About W!LD RICE

Founded in 2000 by our Founding Artistic Director, Ivan Heng, W!LD RICE is one of Singapore’s leading professional theatre companies. Our mission is to provide a forum for the shared experience of theatre; celebrating our diversity, reflecting on the problems and possibilities of our times, and presenting productions that inspire, challenge and entertain. W!LD RICE is a not-for-profit Singapore Registered Charity, (Institution of a Public Character No. 000122). It is a recipient of the National Arts Council's Major Grant.